CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Interstat) – Northwestern visits Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Illinois Field for a Big Ten Conference matchup, with first pitch set for 70 degrees and clear skies.

The Wildcats (20-26-1) and Fighting Illini (24-23) close a three-game series that has been lopsided so far. Illinois won Friday’s opener 12-0 and also took Saturday’s contest.

Sunday’s game presents a chance for Northwestern to salvage a win. The Wildcats have lost two straight after a 7-1 win over Illinois State on Tuesday.

Illinois has won three of its last four, including a 10-2 victory over Bradley on Wednesday.

Pitchers to watch include Northwestern’s Sam Michel. The right-hander threw 2.1 scoreless innings in Friday’s loss, allowing no hits and no earned runs in relief.

For Illinois, Regan Hall earned the win Friday with 5.0 shutout innings, scattering five hits while striking out seven. Hall’s season has been uneven, with a rough outing against Oregon (3.2 IP, 11 earned runs) and a five-earned-run start at Iowa, but the right-hander has shown dominant form against Northwestern.

A computer simulation by Interstat projects a 5-4 win for Northwestern.

Northwestern returns home to host Rutgers for a three-game series beginning Thursday. Illinois travels to Indiana for a three-game set starting the same day.